50s Westerns DVD News #134: Gunslinger (1956).

Roger Corman’s Gunslinger (1956), maybe my daughter’s favorite 50s Western (take that, Mystery Science Theater!), has been announced for DVD release from Timeless Media Group on October 15. The set, another Movies 4 You Western Film Collection — also offers Clint Walker and Barry Sullivan in Yuma (1971), Terence Hill in the spaghetti western Man Of The East (1971) and Pioneer Woman (1973). An odd grouping, maybe, but you can’t beat the $6.95 list price.

I’ve written about Gunslingerbefore, and I’m happy to know it’s going to be available Stateside. Beverly Garland is always terrific, and she’s so cool in this one. Not sure if it’ll be widescreen or not — the PAL version is, and it’s as nice-looking as this cheap little picture is probably capable of looking. And as ridiculous as it sounds, all of us in the Roan household would love to see it make its way to Blu-ray.

UPDATE 9/30/13: Timeless has served up the same widescreen transfer of Gunslinger as the UK release. It’s 1.85, which AIP called “Wide Vision”on the poster. The contrast levels fluctuate a bit, probably the result of the constant rain that plagued its six-day shooting schedule — this is a nice transfer of a cheap movie. Any issues come from Iverson Ranch in 1956, not from the film transfer suite.

As far the other titles, Man Of The East looks terrific — I love the look of those Techniscope spaghetti westerns. Yuma is soft.

13 Responses

I saw this last year and found it totally fun and wild. My favorite scene, Beverly Garland’s husband, the sheriff, is shot and killed in front of her at the beginning of the movie, her instant reaction? Immediately picks up a rifle and goes after the bad guys, no crying, no shock, just immediate blasting and shoots to kill. Love it. Now when’s the last time a woman reacted like that in a western?

Seriously, I would hardly call this the greatest western and certainly not my favorite western, but to a woman’s libber it must be heaven. To me it’s a laugh riot.

Glad that it is only “maybe” or is that “may be” your daughters favorite (and I am sure she does have good taste in Westerns given her dad’s knowledge), but lets be real this is a typically bad (sometimes fun) Corman movie. Mystery Science theater version is much better!

As I said earlier, my own experience with the movie wasn’t exactly a happy one, but I don’t like these MST hack jobs either.

Whenever a bunch of people set out to make a film, any film, I believe they have the aim of doing the best they can. Now while this may not always succeed, I don’t think they ever it have in mind to produce something bad or worthless. And that’s what I dislike about the likes of MST: there’s something unpleasant and a little tasteless about taking the work of others (regardless of how good or bad one feels it is) and mercilessly ridiculing or lampooning it for cheap laughs.

I hope that doesn’t come across as too po-faced as I certainly appreciate a well thought out spoof – the crucial difference there of course being that a good spoof needs some creativity (and some affection or respect for the source) behind it for it to work. MST-type stuff, on the other hand, feels like cynical frat boy antics.

Nice of you both to defend the idea that any film deserves to be respected just because someone “worked hard” on it. The reality is that some films are truly really bad. If you don’t like the comic genius of MST, then you don’t have a funny bone in your body, and I feel sorry for you. Stop taking film too seriously. There are bad books, bad plays, bad art, bad music, and bad films. Sometimes people make fun of them in a smart clever manner. Enjoy some more MST.

OK, some films don’t work out as well as the makers would have hoped. I still feel uncomfortable using the, perhaps misguided, creative efforts of others as a basis for what is essentially a cheap joke. Does that mean my sense of humor is lacking something? If so, so be it.

Colin said enough about it in his two posts that I don’t really want to add anything. But Marshal, I feel a little resentful–and maybe Colin does too–at the suggestion “…you don’t have a funny bone in your body.” I’m not going to make a list of all the movies I Iove here but it is replete with many comedies and movies in the lighter genres. But just like the more “serious” ones their creators worked to make them what they are–funny, charming, entertaining.

On this very blog, you may have noticed that one of Toby’s personal favorites is “Son of Paleface.” Plainly, this isn’t “The Searchers” “The Naked Spur” or “Rio Bravo” (though the last named of these especially may have as much humor). It’s a comedy, but knowledgeable about Westerns and with some of the cast members mostly playing it straight while the lead plays for laughs and gets them. I’d suggest there is a world of difference between the parody talents of a Frank Tashlin and what those MST guys were doing–and even that to like what they do diminishes what a true comic creator and his collaborators can do making THEIR OWN movie.

As I said I enjoyed Gunslinger a lot, if not just for Beverly Garland alone, it was full of action, even if it was a bit outlandish, that’s what made the film fun. I can’t say though that I ever liked MST, to me it just ruined a good bad movie to have these jerks talking over the film. I’ve been known to make my own smart remarks while watching a film, but if you’re trying to watch one of these movies you want to hear it. I’m a big fan of most of the movies MST will feature, but I avoid at all costs recording a movie I want if it’s on MST, they just ruin the movie experience for me.